Printable label coating

ABSTRACT

A versatile envelope assembly that can be printed upon either before or after the resulting envelope is assembled. The resulting envelope can be used to store a wide variety of items, including compact discs and digital video discs, and can also provide a label for labeling the items contained in the envelope. The label is specially designed to extend the life of compact discs and digital video discs when applied to these items. Furthermore, the resulting envelope can be used as a mailing envelope, a filing pocket, a ring-binder pocket, or for any other suitable use.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of: (1) Ser. No. 09/412,466,filed on Oct. 05, 1999 abandoned; (2) Ser. No. 09/416,152, filed on Oct.11, 1999 U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,504, which is a continuation-in-part patentapplication of Ser. No. 09/412,466, filed on Oct. 05, 1999 abandoned;and (3) Ser. No. 09/415,802, filed on Oct. 11, 1999 U.S. Pat. No.6,367,698, which is a continuation-in-part patent application of Ser.No. 09/412,466, filed on Oct. 05, 1999 abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is directed to a versatile label and/or envelopeassembly. The invention is also directed to a coating for a label, and amethod of coating a label, which renders treated surfaces of the labelprintable. The invention is also directed to a tearable line for a labeland/or an envelope assembly.

2. Description of Related Art

Labels typically have text, or a design, or some type of printed matteron a face sheet. However, certain face sheet materials, such as filmsand foils, cannot be printed on due to the “unprintable” surfaceproperties of these materials. A protective panel is typically adheredto the face sheet with an adhesive coating, and disposed of as wasteonce it is separated from the face sheet. The protective panel typicallyhas a smooth surface which is usually unprintable. Furthermore, when asingle label is removed from a sheet of labels, a plain, smooth surfaceof the protective panel to which the single label was adhered is exposedand often discarded as waste, for one reason because nothing cantypically be printed on the smooth surface.

When separating a label from a remainder portion of a label sheet,die-cut lines can be too flimsy, thereby allowing the label to separatefrom the remainder portion before a user desires such separation.Conversely, micro-perforations can be too durable, thereby creatingdifficulty for a user who attempts to separate a label from a remainderportion, the process of which often results in a torn label.

Envelopes can be used to hold a wide variety of items, includingletters, documents, compact discs, DVDs, pictures, baseball cards, andthe like. Quite often, it is desirable to have a label for adhering toitems within an envelope. In order to label items and store them inenvelopes, one must purchase the envelopes and the labels separately.Furthermore, an outside surface of the envelope usually must be labeledto indicate what the contents are inside the envelope.

An envelope having a window is one way to reveal the contents of anenvelope, but labels must still be purchased separately in order tolabel the contents themselves. If the labels and the envelopes areseparate items, they cannot be run through a printer simultaneously.Furthermore, if an envelope has a window, the window often occupies aconsiderable amount of printable surface area on the envelope.

In addition, labels affixed to objects, such as compact discs (CDs),with adhesive can harm the discs if a user attempts to remove thelabels. More specifically, damage may be caused by pulling off some ofthe disc protective coating, metal and dye along with the label. Asomewhat contradictory reason to oppose the use of labels with adhesiveson CDs is that some adhesives can dry out and become less effective overtime, especially in the presence of heat, thus the labels could arguablybecome unattached while being used in a CD drive. Furthermore, inkprinted on a thin label is subject to bleeding through the label andonto the CD, which could easily damage the protective coating on theread/write portion of the CD. However, discs with no labels at all aresubject to scratching of the protective coating, metal and dye, whichcan cause irreversible damage.

A further setback in envelope organization is difficulty indistinguishing one envelope from another. When envelopes are aligned ina row, they typically all look alike. Even when a surface of an envelopeis labeled, one must usually sort through a number of envelopes, lookingat an entire surface of each one, before finding the sought-afterenvelope.

Envelope assemblies produced as a continuous web during themanufacturing process can be difficult to produce due to the precisionrequired in separating adjacent assemblies from one another. If acutting device used to separate adjacent assemblies from one another iseven slightly misaligned, a large number of misshapen, nonfunctionalassemblies can result from the misalignment.

When assembling an envelope from an envelope assembly, a protectivepanel is often difficult to separate from a face sheet. Not only doesthis difficulty lead to frustration, but it can also result in wornedges of the face sheet. Furthermore, once the protective panel isseparated from the face sheet, it is often difficult to evenly fold oneelement of the assembly onto another element of the assembly, therebyresulting in a lopsided, uneven envelope.

Accordingly, a need exists for a new and improved envelope, or envelopeassembly, that provides means for labeling the envelope and any contentswithin the envelope. A need also exists for an envelope that can be moreeasily identified and organized. A further need exists for an envelopeassembly that can be easily manufactured and assembled to form anenvelope having a finished appearance.

Furthermore, a need exists for a way to print on typically unprintablelabel surfaces. A need also exists for an envelope or envelope assemblyhaving a window without a loss of printable surface area. A further needexists for an improved way to separate labels from remainder portions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a label, or an envelope assembly, or anenvelope. The label, or envelope assembly, or envelope, has a coatingthat renders coated surface areas printable. More particularly, evenextremely smooth surfaces, such as protective panels, can be printedupon when coated with the coating of the present invention.

The present invention also relates to a tearable line that can be usedto separate a label or an envelope assembly from a remainder portion, orfrom an adjacent label or envelope assembly. The tearable line, havingboth die-cut lines and micro-perforated lines, is durable enough towithstand bends and turns when routed through a printer, yet weak enoughto allow easy separation.

The present invention also relates to an envelope, or an envelopeassembly, with a removable panel that can be printed upon simultaneouslywhile printing upon the envelope or envelope assembly. The envelope, orenvelope assembly, can further comprise a tab for ease of identificationand organization.

The envelope assembly includes a sheet of material having a printablesurface on one side and an adhesive covered by a protective panel onanother side. The sheet of material comprises an assembly shapepreferably having a primary panel adjacent a secondary panel. At leastone flap is preferably but not necessarily located along at least oneedge of the primary panel and/or the secondary panel.

In one embodiment, the sheet of material is rectangular withmicro-perforated and die-cut tearable lines located around at least aportion of a periphery of the assembly shape, thereby separating theassembly shape from a remainder portion of the material.

The protective panel is preferably transparent or translucent, and mayalso be printable. The adhesive coating at least partially covers oneside of a removable panel located on the assembly shape and/or on theremainder portion. Alternatively, instead of adhesive coating, theremovable panel can be statically adhered to the protective panel. Whenthe removable panel is removed from a remainder of the envelope orenvelope assembly, the transparent or translucent protective panelenables a user to view any contents of the envelope from outside theenvelope. Furthermore, when the transparent or translucent protectivepanel is printable, the envelope or envelope assembly maintains as muchprintable surface area as an envelope or envelope assembly without aremovable panel.

In another embodiment, the primary panel, the secondary panel and/or theremainder portion of the material is preferably perforated,micro-perforated, and/or die-cut to form the removable panel. Theremovable panel can be in a shape of a compact disc label, for example,so that graphics can be printed upon the printable surface of theprimary panel and/or the secondary panel, and the removable panel canthen be separated from the primary panel and/or the secondary panel andadhered to a compact disc. Alternatively, the removable panel can be ina shape of a DVD label suited to fit a non-read/write portion of theDVD. Furthermore, multiple nested ring-shaped removable panels can belocated on the primary panel and/or the secondary panel, therebyproviding multiple ring-shaped labels for multiple purposes.

The adhesive coating also at least partially covers one side of the atleast one flap, and/or at least one edge of the primary panel and/or atleast one edge of the secondary panel. The protective panel can beremoved to expose the adhesive coating. In one preferred embodiment ofthis invention, the adhesive coating entirely covers one side of thesheet of material. In another preferred embodiment of this invention,the adhesive coating only partially covers the one side of the sheet ofmaterial. In yet another preferred embodiment of this invention, theadhesive coating entirely covers one side of the sheet of material, anda second sheet of material is attached to the sheet of material andcontains a portion of the assembly shape thereon. In a furtherembodiment of this invention, a laminate layer is coated with anadhesive coating on both sides and is located between the sheet ofmaterial and the protective panel.

The protective panel preferably has at least one tearable line ofseparation, such that a portion of the protective panel can be separatedfrom a remaining portion, such as a border portion, of the protectivepanel. In one preferred embodiment, the tearable lines of separation arelocated along fold lines of the flaps. In another preferred embodiment,the tearable lines of separation are offset from the tearable lines ofseparation on the sheet of material for ease in separating theprotective panel from the sheet of material in the appropriate places.

To form an envelope, the protective panel is first partially orcompletely separated from the adhesive to expose the adhesive on eachflap, edge of the primary panel and/or edge of the secondary panel. Theflaps and/or the secondary panel are then folded toward the primarypanel such that surfaces with exposed adhesive are aligned to contactsurfaces to which they can adhere, thereby forming an envelope.

In one preferred embodiment, at least one tab extends outward from theprimary panel and/or the secondary panel. A flap can be die-cut about aportion of a periphery of the tab, such that the tab remains extendingoutward while the flap can be folded over and adhered to either theprimary panel or the secondary panel. The tab can be printed upondirectly, or alternatively, the removable panel can be of a size andshape suitable to be adhered to the tab.

The envelope assembly of the present invention can be designed andconstructed in a wide range of sizes for a number of different uses. Inparticular, the envelope assembly is suitable for housing compact discs,mini-discs, baseball cards, photographs, and many other items.Furthermore, the envelope and/or envelope assembly can have one or moreholes in the primary panel corresponding with one or more holes in thesecondary panel, thereby enabling a user to store the envelope in aring-binder, such as in a personal planner.

When the envelope assemblies are produced along a continuous web,registration lines can extend between adjacent assemblies, therebyproviding for a margin of error in the process of separating adjacentassemblies. Furthermore, fold lines can be created on the envelopeassemblies in order to make the assembly process of the envelope moreuser-friendly. Such fold lines can be created by score lines,perforations and/or micro-perforations and can be located between flaps,panels and any other component intended to be folded.

When the envelope assembly has a circular removable panel situated oneither the primary panel or the secondary panel, one of the flaps canhave a removable partial circle situated on the flap in such a mannerthat when the flap is folded, no portion of the flap blocks the view ofthe circular removable panel. This embodiment is desirable whether ornot the flap on which the removable partial circle is located is or isnot intended to be used to close the envelope. When the flap is notintended to close and seal the envelope, the flap on which the removablepartial circle is located can be tucked inside the envelope, therebyproviding reinforcement at the opening of the envelope and, if theprotective panel is transparent and/or translucent, the flap will notimpede the view of the contents of the envelope. When the flap isintended to close and seal the envelope, if the protective panel istransparent and/or translucent, once again, the flap will not impede theview of the contents of the envelope.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a surfacetreatment suitable for coating an unprintable surface of a label and/orenvelope assembly, thereby rendering the surface printable.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an envelopeassembly having a printable protective panel. In this embodiment, theprotective panel is also preferably transparent and/or translucent, forexample for viewing the contents of the envelope through the protectivepanel once a removable panel is removed.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a tearableline for a label and/or envelope assembly that has sufficient structuralstrength, for example for routing through a printer, yet is configuredfor easy separation that forms a clean edge.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide aversatile envelope assembly that can be printed upon either before orafter the resulting envelope is formed, can provide a label for labelingitems contained in the envelope, and can be used as a mailing envelope,a filing pocket, a ring-binder pocket, or for any other suitable use.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill become further apparent from the following detailed description ofthe presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings areintended to illustrate the present invention rather than limit the scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims andequivalents of the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be better understood with reference to thefollowing drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views. Moreover, it should benoted that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis insteadbeing placed upon clearly illustrating principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front plan view of a first preferred embodiment ofan envelope assembly in sheet form and an unfolded position, showingthree areas, each where a protective panel is removed, thereby exposinga layer of adhesive coating;

FIG. 2 illustrates a front plan view of the envelope assembly shown inFIG. 1, but in a folded position with a compact disc inserted within apocket formed by the folded envelope assembly;

FIG. 3 illustrates a rear plan view of the envelope assembly shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, in a folded position;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front plan view of a second preferred embodiment ofthe envelope assembly in a folded position;

FIG. 5 illustrates a front plan view of a third preferred embodiment ofthe envelope assembly, having only two flaps, in a folded position;

FIG. 6 illustrates a front plan view of a fourth preferred embodiment ofthe envelope assembly, in a folded position, having only two flaps, andhaving an adhesive coating only on a secondary panel;

FIG. 7 illustrates a rear plan view of a fifth preferred embodiment ofthe envelope assembly in an unfolded position, having flaps but no tabs,and showing a ring-shaped removable panel of a face material coated withan adhesive such that the removable panel can be separated from theassembly and adhered to a compact disc;

FIG. 8 illustrates a rear plan view of a sixth preferred embodiment ofthe envelope assembly in an unfolded position, showing a ring-shapedremovable panel of a face material coated with an adhesive such that theremovable panel can be separated from the assembly and, for example,adhered to a compact disc;

FIG. 9 illustrates a rear plan view of a seventh preferred embodiment ofthe envelope assembly in an unfolded position in an assembly shapehaving a removable panel;

FIG. 10 illustrates a rear plan view of an eighth preferred embodimentof the envelope assembly in an unfolded position having removable panelsin a remainder portion such that the removable panels can be used toform tabs;

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-section view, taken along line 11—11 asshown in FIG. 1, of the unfolded envelope assembly;

FIG. 12 illustrates a rear plan view of a ninth preferred embodiment ofthe envelope assembly in an unfolded position having offset tearablelines in the protective panel, nested ring-shaped removable panels inthe face material, a removable partial circle on one of the flaps, andregistration lines extending from the primary panel and the secondarypanel.

FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-section view, taken along line 13—13 asshown in FIG. 12, of the unfolded envelope assembly;

FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-section view of an alternative embodiment ofthe unfolded envelope assembly;

FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-section view of yet another alternativeembodiment of the unfolded envelope assembly; and

FIG. 16 illustrates a partial, enlarged view of a tearable line definingan envelope assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate a first preferred embodiment of an envelopeassembly 10 in accordance with the present invention. As generally shownin FIG. 1, an envelope assembly 10 comprises a sheet 12 of material thatcan be fed into and run through a printer. An assembly shape 20, whichmay also be referred to as a tearable shape, can then be separated froma remaining portion 21 of the sheet 12 and folded into an envelope 11for holding, for example, a compact disc 54 (CD), as shown in FIG. 2. Aremovable panel 56 and 56′, as shown in FIG. 3, can be separated fromthe sheet 12 as a label and adhered to a separate surface. Regardless ofwhether the envelope 11 comprises the removable panel 56, the envelope11 can comprise a tab 39 for organizational purposes.

Referring still generally to FIG. 1, the sheet 12 is of any suitableshape, and generally any suitable size that can be accepted by and fedthrough a printer, such as a laser printer or an ink jet printer. Commonsizes of paper generally fed through printers are 8.5 inches by 5.5inches, 8.5 inches by 11 inches, 8.263 inches by 11.688 inches (A4size), and 8.5 inches by 14 inches. The sheet 12 is preferably but notnecessarily constructed of any suitable paper, paper composite,non-metal and/or metal material that can be used as a label. Othersuitable materials for constructing the sheet 12 include fabric,plastic, and metal foils. An adhesive coating 44 covered by a protectivepanel 50 is applied, in any suitable manner known to those skilled inthe art, to a first side 14 of the sheet 12. The sheet 12 preferably hasa printable surface 16 on a second side 18, as shown in FIG. 3. Theprintable surface 16 can be any of a variety of face materials used tomake pressure sensitive, or self-adhesive labels. Such face materialsmay include, but are not limited to: smudgeproof stock, litho stock,cast coated stock, tag stock, fluorescent stock, foils, computerprintable polyester, vinyl, satin cloth, Tyvek™ material, flexibleplastic, book papers, photo quality papers and/or photo quality film.Furthermore, various portions of the face materials can be differentcolors, thereby resulting in different colored parts, such as theremovable panel 56 and/or the tab 39.

As used throughout this specification and in the claims, the termprintable surface relates to a surface of any type of matter upon whicha person or machine can draw, print, color, paint, photocopy, write,emboss, or make any other type of mark or graphic. Laser printers, inkjet printers, impact printers, thermal transfer printers, direct thermalprinters, typewriters, or any other suitable graphic printing devicesare preferred but not necessary for use with printable surfacesaccording to this invention.

Still referring generally to FIG. 1, within the sheet 12 is an assemblyshape 20 comprising a primary panel 22, a secondary panel 24 and atleast one, preferably two, more preferably three flaps 26, 28 and 30. Asused throughout this specification and in the claims, the phraseassembly shape, or the phrase tearable shape, is intended to relate to ashape, such as the shape identified in FIG. 1 by element referencenumerals 20, that can be torn away from a remaining portion 21 of thesheet 12, by using tearable lines, such as die-cut lines, perforatedlines, micro-perforated lines, or any combination of these types ofseparation, or any other suitable structure that enables separation.

A preferred type of tearable line 88 is a line that includes repeatingsections of a die-cut line 90 connected to a micro-perforated line 92,as shown in FIG. 16. This type of tearable line 88 has enough strengthin the micro-perforated line 92 section to maintain the structuralintegrity or cohesiveness of the sheet 12 as the sheet 12 passes througha printer, yet has enough weakness in the die-cut line 90 section toenable easy and clean separation of the assembly shape 20 from theremaining portion 21 of the sheet 20 when such separation is desired.The lengths of the die-cut lines 90 and the micro-perforated lines 92may vary depending on intended use, but a preferred length of thedie-cut lines 90 is in a range of between about 0.5 cm and about 4.0 cm,more preferably between about 0.75 cm and about 2.0 cm. A preferredlength of the micro-perforated lines 92 is in a range of between about0.1 cm and about 2.0 cm, more preferably between about 0.3 cm and about1.0 cm. The term “micro-perforation” refers to a line of perforationshaving approximately 20 or more cuts per centimeter, or approximately 50or more cuts per inch. Relatively longer micro-perforation lines 92,preferably longer than about 0.75 cm, and/or relatively shorter die-cutlines 90, preferably shorter than about 1.5 cm, are suitable fordefining label or envelope assembly shapes with curves and/or angles,thereby providing greater durability and maintaining structuralintegrity of the sheet 12 until a user separates the sheet 12 along thetearable line 88. Likewise, relatively shorter micro-perforation lines92, preferably shorter than about 0.75 cm, and/or relatively longerdie-cut lines 90, preferably longer than about 1.5 cm, are suitable fordefining label or envelope assembly shapes with straight edges, therebyproviding clean-cut edges and easy separation. In particular,micro-perforation lines 92 are suitable for defining corners, as shownin FIG. 16, whereas die-cut lines 90 typically do not provide enoughstructure to maintain corners intact during certain processes, forexample when the sheet 12 is routed through a printer.

The assembly shape 20 can be die-cut and micro-perforated along at leasta portion of a periphery, defined by the tearable line 88 describedabove, such that the assembly shape 20 can be easily removed orseparated from the remaining portion 21 of the sheet 12, for exampleafter the sheet 12 is run through a printer.

In one preferred embodiment, the primary panel 22 can be square orrectangular, thereby having four edges 32, 34, 36 and 38. In onepreferred embodiment, the primary panel 22 has a width (W) in a rangebetween about 4.75 inches and about 5.25 inches, and a height (H) in arange between about 4.75 inches and about 5.25 inches. In otherembodiments, the primary panel 22 can have any suitable circular,polygonal or non-polygonal shape. The secondary panel 24 is locatedalong the edge 32 of the primary panel 22. A primary fold line 40, whichmay or may not be marked, or formed, with score lines, perforationsand/or micro-perforations, is located at the edge 32 where the primarypanel 22 and the secondary panel 24 meet. Instead of marking, orforming, the primary fold line 40 with the types of incisions orperforations mentioned in this specification, the primary fold line 40can alternatively be marked, or formed, with grooves, impressions, orany other type of modification of the assembly 10 that facilitates easyfolding. Each of the flaps 26, 28 and 30 are located at separate edges34, 36 and 38 of the primary panel 22. Alternatively, at least one ofthe flaps 26, 28 and 30 can be located at a corresponding edge 33, 35 or37 of the secondary panel 24. Secondary fold lines 42, possibly markedwith score lines, perforations and/or micro-perforations, are located atthe edges 34, 36 and 38 of the primary panel 22 where each of the flaps26, 28 and 30 and the primary panel 22 meet, and possibly at a junctionbetween the secondary panel 24 and any of the flaps 26, 28 and 30.

In one preferred embodiment, the envelope assembly 10 comprises threeflaps 26, 28 and 30, one located along each edge 34, 36 and 38 of theprimary panel 22 not occupied by the secondary panel 24, as shown inFIGS. 1-4, 7 and 10. Flap 30 can be partially coated with a suitableadhesive to form an adhesive coating 44 for securely sealing theenvelope assembly 10. Alternatively, no adhesive coating 44 is appliedto the flap 30, or the flap 30 comprises a resealable type of closure,as known by those skilled in the art, such that the envelope assembly 10can be sealed and opened multiple times without tearing or otherwisedistorting the sheet 12. In a further alternative embodiment,illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the flap 30 is located along one of theedges 33, 35 and 37 of the secondary panel 24. When flaps 26 and 28 arelocated on opposite edges 34 and 38 of the primary panel 22 and the edge36 remains flapless, the assembly shape 20 without any remaining portion21 of the material can easily be fed through a printer, with the edge 36being fed first.

When manufacturing the envelope assembly 10, the sheet 12 of materialcan originate from a long, continuous web of material later to be cutinto separate sheets 12 each having an envelope assembly 10. Forexample, the envelope assembly 10 in FIG. 12 can be separated fromadjacent envelope assemblies 10 connected to the flap 30 and thesecondary panel 24. In order to provide a clean cut between adjacentenvelope assemblies 10, taking into account manufacturing registrationneeds or a margin of error in spacing the cut, registration lines 78extend between adjacent envelope assemblies 10. The registration lines78 are preferably but not necessarily substantially perpendicular to theresulting edge 35 of the secondary panel 24, of an upline envelopeassembly 10, and the resulting edge 31 of flap 30, of a downlineenvelope assembly 10. Both edges 35 and 31 are co-extensive with edgesof the resulting sheet 12. At the points from which the registrationlines 78 extend from the assembly 10, the registration lines 78 caneither meet at or near the side edges of the flap 30 and the secondarypanel 24 at angles, such as right angles, or the registration lines 78can be co-extensive with the side edges of the flap 30 and the secondarypanel 24.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 8, the tab 39 can be formed within orintegrated as part of the flap 30. More specifically, the flap 30 isdie-cut about a portion of a periphery of the tab 39. The tab 39 canthen be separated from the flap 30 along the periphery of the tab 39,such that when the flap 30 is folded over, the tab 39 remains extendedoutward from the primary panel 22 and generally within a same plane asthe primary panel 22. Any number of the tabs 39 can be formed within anyof the flaps 26, 28 and 30, and/or within the primary panel 22 and/orthe secondary panel 24.

In other embodiments having only two flaps 26 and 28, the flaps 26 and28 can be located either on the two opposing edges 34 and 38 adjacentthe edge 32 on which the secondary panel 24 is located, as shown in FIG.5, or on the edge 36 opposite the secondary panel 24 and on the edge 34adjacent the edge 32 on which the secondary panel 24 is located, asshown in FIG. 6. In a further embodiment, one flap 26 can be located onone of the edges 34, 36 and 38 of the primary panel 22 and the otherflap 28 can be located on one of the edges 33, 35 and 37 of thesecondary panel 24. It is apparent that any number of flaps can belocated at any position which is suitable for adhering one or more ofthe flaps 26, 28 and/or 30 to the primary panel 22 and/or the secondarypanel 24.

In an embodiment of the present invention having only two flaps 26 and28, the tab 39 is formed within a periphery or integrated as a part ofthe assembly shape 20, such as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The tab 39extends outward from the edge 36 of the primary panel 22 not occupied byeither of the flaps 26 and 28. In other preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, more than one tab 39 can extend outward from the edge36 of the primary panel 22. As in an embodiment having three flaps 26,28 and 30, any additional tabs 39 can also be formed within orintegrated as part of the flaps 26 and 28, and/or within the primarypanel 22 and/or within the secondary panel 24. In a preferredembodiment, the tabs 39 are staggered cut in any suitable group number.For example, a first envelope can have a first tab 39 on a left portionadjacent the edge 36 of the primary panel 22, a second envelope can havea tab 39 on a middle portion of the edge 36 of the primary panel 22, anda third envelope can have a tab 39 on a right portion adjacent the edge36 of the primary panel 22.

The adhesive coating 44 preferably adheres significantly more to thesheet 12 than to the protective panel 50, such that the protective panel50 can be removed to expose the adhesive coating 44 which preferablyremains on the sheet 12. In such a preferred embodiment, the adhesivecoating 44 at least partially covers the first side 14 of each of theflaps 26, 28 and 30. The adhesive coating 44 can be applied in either acontinuous format 46, as shown on flap 28 in FIGS. 1 and 11, or apatterned format 48, as shown on flap 26 in FIGS. 1 and 11. The adhesivecoating 44 can cover the entire first side 14 of the assembly shape 20,in which case, to prevent undesired adhesion, a protective panel 50preferably also covers the entire area covered by the adhesive coating44.

The protective panel 50 preferably has at least one tearable line ofseparation 52, either die-cut or perforated with, for example,perforations and/or micro-perforations, or a combination of die-cutlines and micro-perforated lines as described above, located eitheralong at least one of the edges 32, 34, 36 and 38 of the primary panel22 or offset on at least one of the flaps 26, 28 and 30 a set distancefrom the primary panel 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the tearable line ofseparation 52 is located between an outer edge of the flap 26, 28 or 30and the fold line 42 but it is apparent that the tearable line ofseparation 52 can coincide with the fold line 42. As shown by the dottedlines in FIG. 12, the tearable lines of separation 52 can be offsetinside and/or outside of the assembly shape 20, thereby intersecting theperimeter of the assembly shape 20 at points 80 and 82, such that whenthe assembly shape 20 is removed or separated from the sheet 12, theprotective panel 50 remains on the adhesive coating 44 and then can beeasily removed from the adhesive coating 44 when desired. Thus, when theprotective panel 50 is separated at the tearable line of separation 52,an area of adhesive coating 44 under the separated portion of theprotective panel 50 is exposed.

Referring to FIGS. 1-10 and 12, to form the envelope assembly 10 intothe envelope 11, at least one of the flaps 26, 28 and 30 and/or thesecondary panel 24 without exposed adhesive coating 44 is folded over toface the first side 14 of the primary panel 22. The protective panel 50is separated from the adhesive coating 44 and torn from any remainingportion of the protective panel 50, such as at the tearable lines ofseparation 52. The flaps 26, 28 and 30 and/or the secondary panel 24with exposed adhesive coating 44 are preferably then folded over thefirst folded flaps 26, 28 and 30 and/or secondary panel 24, to constructthe envelope 11. The folded flaps 26,28 and 30 and/or secondary panel 24are secured by contacting the exposed adhesive coating 44 with surfaceportions of the flaps 26, 28 and 30 and/or the secondary panel 24without exposed adhesive coating 44.

In an alternative embodiment, the adhesive coating 44 can at leastpartially cover the first side 14 of the secondary panel 24, withoutcovering any of the flaps 26 and 28, as shown in FIG. 6. In thisembodiment, the flaps 26 and 28 are first folded inward, and thesecondary panel 24 is subsequently folded over to face the flaps 26 and28. Preferably then, the flaps 26 and 28 and the secondary panel 24 aresecured in place with the adhesive coating 44.

In another embodiment, shown in cross-section in FIG. 13, the adhesivecoating 44 covers only approximately one-half of the sheet 12. Thisembodiment can be easily, and efficiently, manufactured due to the factthat the adhesive coating 44 and the protective panel 50 are applied tothe sheet 12 in one area, rather than across the entire sheet 12 or inspecific locations. Furthermore, this embodiment is cost-efficient inthat only about one-half of the amount of protective panel 50 materialand about one-half of the amount of adhesive coating 44 are required tomanufacture this embodiment, compared to the embodiment in which anentire surface of the sheet 12 is coated and covered with the adhesivecoating 44 and the protective panel 50.

In still another embodiment, shown in cross-section in FIG. 14, a secondsheet of material 13 is attached to the sheet 12. The second sheet 13and the sheet 12 are about equal in size and together form a singlesheet of any suitable shape and/or size, preferably a shape and/or sizethat can be accepted by and fed through a printer. In this embodiment,an entire surface of the sheet 12 is coated and covered with theadhesive coating 44 and the protective panel 50, but the amount ofadhesive coating 44 and protective panel 50 material used is also equalto about one-half of the amount of protective panel 50 material androughly half the amount of adhesive coating 44 required to manufacturethe embodiment in which an entire surface of a full-size sheet 12 iscoated and covered with the adhesive coating 44 and the protective panel50.

In yet another embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 3, 7, 8-10 and 12, theprimary panel 22 and/or the secondary panel 24 comprises at least oneremovable panel 56 and/or 56′, preferably with at least a portion ofeach removable panel 56 having the printable surface 16. The removablepanel 56 can be a part of the printable surface 16 of the remainingportion 21 of the sheet 12. For example, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12,the removable panel 56′ can be a symmetrical shape that can be foldedabout a fold line 43 and adhered to an edge 32, 34, 36 or 38 of theprimary panel 22, or an edge 33, 35 or 37 of the secondary panel 24.Removable panel 56′ can be folded about an axis at fold line 43 and, forexample, attached to an edge portion of envelope assembly 10 so that aportion of the removable panel 56′ protrudes from the finished envelope11 as an index tab label. The shape of the removable panel 56′ when usedas a free-standing index tab label is such that the removable panel 56′is symmetrical about the fold line 43 and shorter at the fold line 43than at each of the edges which are parallel to the fold line 43. Aremovable panel 56′ having such a shape provides a functionalfree-standing index tab that is less likely to get caught on orotherwise interfere with loose objects, as compared to an index tabwherein the fold line 43 is the same length as, or longer than, a baseportion of the index tab.

In another embodiment, the removable panel 56′ has a similar shape and asurface area less than or equal to a shape and a surface area of the tab39, such that the removable panel 56′ can be adhered to and completelyor almost completely cover the tab 39. As shown in FIG. 3, for example,the removable panel 56′ can have a shape and size similar to one side ofthe tab 39.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the primary panel 22, thesecondary panel 24, and/or the remaining portion 21 of the sheet 12 iskiss-cut about at least a portion of a periphery of the removable panel56 such that the removable panel 56 can be separated from the envelope11 or the envelope assembly 10 while leaving intact the envelope 11 orthe envelope assembly 10. The term “kiss-cut” refers to a separation bya knife cut through a face material layer 68, such as shown in FIGS. 11and 13-15, without removing a matrix between the remaining layers.

Preferably the adhesive coating 44 covers one side of the removablepanel 56. The removable panel 56 can be printed upon when the sheet 12is run through a printer. After the removable panel 56 is printed upon,the removable panel 56 can be used as a label, or a sticker, to adhereto any suitable surface.

In an alternative embodiment, with no adhesive coating 44, the removablepanel 56 can be constructed of a material which can be staticallyadhered to the protective panel 50. Once the removable panel 56 isremoved from the protective panel 50, the removable panel 56 can bestatically adhered to another surface, such as on a compact disc (CD) ora digital video disc (DVD). Suitable compositions for the sheet ofmaterial 12, or at least a portion of the sheet of material 12, wherethe non-adhesive, statically-adhering removable panel 56 is located,include vinyl polymers, such as Classics Plus® SELECT™ 81110SL Topcoated8.0 Mil White Cling Vinyl, or any other suitable polymer. Thenon-adhesive, statically-adhering removable panel 56 preferably but notnecessarily has a printable surface.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protectivepanel 50 at least covers an entire area of the first side 14 of thesheet 12 corresponding to the removable panel 56 on the second side 18of the sheet 12. The protective panel 50 can be at least partiallytransparent or translucent, constructed of, for example, glassine orclear plastic, such that any contents of the envelope 11 can be viewedfrom outside the envelope 11 with the removable panel 56 removed. Yet afurther embodiment of this invention includes a printable protectivepanel 50. With a printable surface, the protective panel 50 can beprinted upon, particularly in the area covering the removable panel 56,such that when the removable panel 56 is removed from the protectivepanel 50, the text or graphics printed on the protective panel 50 arevisible from outside the envelope 11.

Materials suitable for making a printable protective panel 50 include asubstrate, such as paper, metal, film, foil, and combinations thereof.Other materials having smooth surfaces, with relatively low porosity,such as photo resin papers and polymers, including polypropylene,polyester, polyethylene, and vinyl, are also suitable substrates. Thesesubstrates can be coated with a superabsorbent coating comprising agelatinous material, a cross-linking agent and water. This type ofcoating is similar to a base coating that is conventionally used onpaper for photographic film. Examples of suitable gelatinous materialsinclude GELITA® Imagel AF, GELITA® Imagel Type 8249, and GELITA® ImagelType 8250, for example all as available from Kind & Know Gelatine, Inc.,in Sioux City, Iowa. The gelatinous material preferably comprises 5-60%solids. Examples of suitable cross-linking agents include polyvinylalcohol, and 2-(4-dimethylcarbomoyl-pyridino)-ethane-1-sulfonate, forexample as available from H. W. Sands Corp. in Jupiter, Fla., under thetrademark OB1207®. The resulting coating comprises 0.25-15% of thecross-linking agent and approximately 90-99.5% water.

The process of coating a substrate with the printable coating can becarried out either through extrusion, gravure or flexography, all ofwhich are processes known to those skilled in the art of manufacturinglabels. The extrusion process is used to apply a solid coating to thesubstrate, whereas gravure and flexography processes can be used toeither apply a solid coating or spot coating. In the flexography method,for example, the coating is applied to an anilox roller and excesscoating is scraped off of the anilox roller by a doctor blade and/or anip roll. The coating is then passed from the anilox roller to a plateroll. The substrate passes between the coated plate roll and animpression roll, where the substrate is imprinted with the coating. Thedwell time of the coating on the substrate varies depending on thethickness of the coating and the speed of the process. As the coatingcures, the cross-linking agent is activated. The thickness of thecoating depends on the viscosity of the coating and the percentage ofsolids in the coating. The thickness of the coating is preferably in arange of between about 0.5 pounds per ream and about 20 pounds per ream,wherein a ream is equal to approximately 3000 square feet.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, the removable panel 56 can beused as a label for the compact disc 54 shown in FIG. 2. Moreparticularly, the second side 18 of the primary panel 22 and/or thesecondary panel 24 is die-cut, perforated, micro-perforated, orotherwise cut to form tearable line of separation 57, as shown in FIG.7, which can be used to remove the removable panel 56 in any suitableshape, such as a circle 58, preferably slightly smaller than a diameterof a compact disc 54. Tearable line of separation 57 can also be formedas a gap between the removable panel 56 and the primary panel 22 and/orthe secondary panel 24.

A second, smaller shape such as a circle 60 or 60′, approximatelyequivalent to either a diameter of an inner cut-out circle 62 of thecompact disc 54, or a diameter of an inner circle 64 on the compact disc54 where a read/write portion of the compact disc 54 adjoins anon-read/write portion of the compact disc 54, such as shown in FIG. 2,can be located within the circle 58. The removable panel 56 defined bythe two circles 58 and 60 can be drawn upon, typed upon, or otherwiseprinted upon, such as when the sheet 12 is run through a printer, andcan then be separated from the protective panel 50 to which theremovable panel 56 initially adheres. The removable panel 56 can then beadhered to a non-read/write side of the compact disc 54.

A plurality of nested circular removable panels 59, 61, 63 can belocated within the circle 58, as shown in FIG. 12. The ring-shapedremovable panels 59, 61, 63 formed between circles 60, 60′, 60″, 58 canbe used for a wide variety of purposes. For example, the ring-shapedremovable panel 63 formed between circles 60 and 60′ can be adhered tothe small non-read/write portion of a DVD as a label. Similarly, thering-shaped removable panel 59 formed between circles 60″ and 58 can beadhered to the non-read/write portion of a CD as a label. Meanwhile, thering-shaped removable panel 61 formed between circles 60′ and 60″ canserve as a spacer between the ring-shaped removable panel 59 and thering-shaped removable panel 63 and can be discarded when the removablepanel 59 and the removable panel 63 are removed from the protectivepanel 50. Removable panels 59, 61, 63 are preferably but not necessarilyring-shaped; removable panels 59, 61, 63 can also have any polygonalshape or any other suitable non-circular shape.

The protective panel 50 of these embodiments is preferably at leastpartially transparent or translucent, constructed of, for example,glassine or clear plastic, such that the compact disc 54 donning theremovable panel 56 can be viewed from outside the envelope 11 throughthe transparent or translucent portion of the protective panel 50. Themiddle portion 66 of the label either can be printed upon during theprinting process of the remainder of the printable surface 16 and usedas a separate label or sticker, or the middle portion 66 can remain onthe protective panel 50 after the removable panel 56 has been removed,or the middle portion 66 can simply be discarded.

Another embodiment, similar to the one shown in FIG. 7, is shown in FIG.8. In this embodiment, the removable panel 56 is used as a compact disclabel. However, like the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the flap 30 in thisembodiment is attached to the secondary panel 24 opposite the primarypanel 22, rather than to the primary panel 22. Furthermore, the flap 30is also die-cut about a portion of a periphery of a tab 39. As in theembodiments shown in FIGS. 7, 9 and 10, the removable panel 56 isbordered by the two circles 58 and 60 and can be printed upon when thesheet 12 is run through a printer, and can then be separated from theprotective panel 50 to which the removable panel 56 initially adheres.The removable panel 56 can then be adhered to a non-read/write side ofthe compact disc 54. The protective panel 50 of this embodiment shouldalso be at least partially transparent or translucent, constructed of,for example, glassine or clear plastic, such that the compact disc 54donning the removable panel 56 can be viewed from outside the envelope11 through the transparent or translucent protective panel 50.

In yet another embodiment, shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, a removable panel67, such as in the shape of a partial circle or another suitable shape,which may or may not correspond to a portion of removable panel 56, islocated on or adjacent the second side 18 of one of the flaps 30, suchthat the removable panel 67 intersects or is positioned near a perimeterof the flap at two points 74 and 76. The removable panel 67 preferablyhas a radius of curvature roughly equal to a radius of curvature of thecircle 58. The removable panel 67 can be removed from either the sheet12, or both the sheet 12 and the protective panel 50. When the resultingenvelope 11 is intended to be sealed, for example for mailing purposes,the embodiment in FIG. 9 is appropriate, such that the flap 30 can befolded onto or adjacent the primary panel 22, and the removable panel 67can be removed, thereby leaving the entire view of the area under theremovable panel 56 unobstructed. When the resulting envelope 11 is notintended to be sealed, but instead is intended to remain open, forexample for filing or storage purposes, the embodiment in FIG. 12 isappropriate, such that the flap 30 on which the removable panel 67 islocated is folded into a pocket space formed by the envelope 11 once theremovable panel 67 is removed, thereby providing reinforcement along thefolded edge 36 without blocking the view of the contents in the envelope11 from outside the envelope 11.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the envelopeassembly 10 is preferably laminated, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13-15. Theenvelope assembly 10 preferably includes five layers in basicconstruction of a pressure sensitive label. The five layers include: (1)a face material 68; (2) a layer of a primer 70; (3) a layer of theadhesive coating 44; (4) a layer of the silicone coating 72; and (5) theprotective panel 50. The face material 68 has a printable surface 16, asshown in FIGS. 3, 11 and 13-15. The primer 70 is a layer or coatingapplied to the face material 68 that improves a bond between theadhesive coating 44 and the face material 68. The primer 70 also acts asa barrier to migration of chemicals that could stain the face material68. The adhesive coating 44 allows the face material 68 to be affixed toa surface, such as securing one part of the face material 68 to anotherpart of the face material 68 in assembling the envelope 11. The siliconecoating 72 at least partially covers at least one side of the protectivepanel 50 and allows for easy “release” of the protective panel 50 fromthe adhesive coating 44. During manufacture, the adhesive coating 44laminates the face material 68 to the silicone coated protective panel50.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG. 15,the laminated envelope assembly 10 further comprises a laminate layer 69between the face sheet 68 and the protective panel 50. The laminatelayer 69 is positioned between two layers of the adhesive coating 44,with the face sheet 68 opposite one of the layers of the adhesivecoating 44 and the protective panel 50 opposite the other layer of theadhesive coating 44. Additionally, a layer of the silicone coating 72can be positioned between the protective panel 50 and one of the layersof the adhesive coating 44. Also, not shown in FIG. 15, layers of theprimer 70 can be applied to the face material 68 and/or the laminatelayer 69 in order to improve a bond between the adhesive coating 44 andthe face material 68, and/or between the adhesive coating 44 and thelaminate layer 69. The laminate layer 69 provides further protectionfrom the threat of ink, for example from an ink jet printer, frombleeding into the adhesive coating 44 and further into a coating on aread/write portion of the compact disc 54 when the removable panel 56 isadhered to the compact disc 54, thereby protecting information stored onand extending the life of the compact disc 54. The laminate layer 69 canbe constructed from any suitable polymer, including polyethylene,polyester, polypropylene, a liquid-applied extruded polymer, and/or anyother suitable material.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protective panel50 is of a size smaller than the sheet 12 and at least slightly largerthan the removable panel 56. More particularly, in a preferredembodiment of the present invention geared toward housing the compactdisc 54, the protective panel 50 is preferably about 5 inches by about 5inches, or roughly the same size as the primary panel 22. The siliconecoating 72 is applied in a layer to one side of the protective panel 50,such as in a manner known to those skilled in the art of labels. A layerof the adhesive coating 44 is then applied to and preferably covers thesilicone coating 72. The protective panel 50 is then positioned over thesecond side 18 of the removable panel 56. When the removable panel 56 isseparated from the envelope 11 or the envelope assembly 10, the adhesivecoating 44 in contact with the removable panel 56 will release from thesilicone coating 72 and will remain on the removable panel 56. Theadhesive coating 44 in contact with an area surrounding the removablepanel 56 on the second side 18 of the sheet 12 maintains the protectivepanel 50 in place with respect to the sheet 12 once the removable panel56 has been removed.

The envelope assembly 10 of the present invention is suitable for a widenumber of uses. Prior to folding and assembling, or even subsequent tofolding and assembling, the envelope assembly 10 can be fed into and runthrough a printer for labeling and/or decorating any portion, includingthe tab 39 and the removable panel 56, or all of the resulting envelope11. In its folded form, the envelope assembly 10 is a suitable size forholding compact discs 54. The envelope assembly 10 can be scaled up ordown to house numerous other items, including stationery, photographs,and mini-discs. Additionally, holes 84 can be added to either theenvelope assembly 10, as shown in FIG. 12, or to the finished envelope11, as shown in FIG. 3. For example, the holes 84 enable a user to storethe envelope 11 in a ring-binder, such as in a disc carrier or apersonal planner. The holes 84 are preferably located in the primarypanel 22 and/or the secondary panel 24, equidistant from the primaryfold line 40, but may also be cut through any of the flaps 26, 28, 30,if necessary. The holes 84 can be circular or any other suitable shape.In one embodiment, circular holes 84 have a diameter in a range ofbetween about 0.2 cm and 2 cm, preferably between about 0.3 cm and 1.5cm, more preferably between about 0.4 cm and 1.2 cm. Additionalreinforcement around the ring binder holes 84 can be provided with asupport strip 86 or another suitable support backing, adhered to eitherthe first side 14 or the second side 18, extending across part of theprimary panel 22 and part of the secondary panel 24 and covering thearea surrounding the holes 84, as shown in FIG. 12. Materials suitablefor the support strip 86 include a MYLAR® material, a TYVEK® material, aTESLIN® material, a polypropylene material, a polyester material, apaper material, a synthetic paper material and a metal material.

While in the foregoing specification this invention has been describedin relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many detailshave been set forth for purpose of illustration, it will become apparentto those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible toadditional embodiments and that certain of the details described hereincan be varied considerably without departing from the basic principlesof the invention. Therefore, to particularly point out and distinctlyclaim the subject matter regarded as the invention, the following claimsconclude the specification.

We claim:
 1. A label comprising: a sheet of material having a primarypanel, a secondary panel, and a plurality of flaps, at least one of theflaps adjacent the primary panel; at least one tab extending outwardfrom the primary panel; a removable panel; an adhesive coating at leastpartially covering a first side of at least one of the flaps and asecond side of the removable panel; a protective panel to which theadhesive coating adheres significantly less than to the sheet, theprotective panel being one of transparent and translucent, theprotective panel having at least one tearable line of separation; and aprintable coating at least partially covering a surface of theprotective panel, wherein the coating comprises a cross-linking agent, agelatinous material, and water.
 2. The label of claim 1 wherein thecross-linking agent is a polyvinyl alcohol.
 3. The label of claim 1wherein the cross-linking agent is2-(4-dimethylcarbomoyl-pyridino)-ethane-1-sulfonate.
 4. The label ofclaim 1 wherein the protective panel is a photo resin paper.
 5. Thelabel of claim 1 wherein the protective panel is selected from the groupconsisting of: paper, metal, film, foil, and combinations thereof. 6.The label of claim 1 wherein the protective panel is a polymer selectedfrom the group consisting of: polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene,vinyl, and combinations thereof.